Aeroplane



Aug. 20, 1929.

J. H. THOMAS AEROPLANE Filed June 17, 1929- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 20, 1929. J THOMAS 1,725,724

AEROPLANE I Filed June 17, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwwnto'o Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOHN H. THOMAS, OF

DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IO LOUIS '1.

ROBERTS, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

AEROPLAN E.

Application filed June 17,

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of aeroplanes and airships of the heavier than air type. V

In the. operation of airships especially those of the usual type which are provided with wings and which employs a tractor propeller difliculty is sometimes experienced in rising from the ground, especially when the plane is heavily loaded, and in landing 113 10 necessary to have a clear landing place of a considerable area owing to the fact that the great amount of momentum possessed by the plane will carry it along for a long distance after it has touched the surface of the ground.

In the operation of aeroplanes, times very desirable and necessary to be able to rise quickl to higher elevations andthis is particular y true when planes are employed on scout duty during war as it often happens that this is the only means by which the aviator can save himself and his ship.

It is the object of this invention to produce an airship which shall be provided 1 with auxiliary propellers that are located in 2 the center of the fuselage directly above the center of mass of the airship and which can be rotated about the transverse horizontal axis with respect to which the propeller shafts are perpendicular so that the operator may ly or rearwardly with respect to the hor zontal plane of symmetry of the aeroplane and which therefore can be employed to produce a lifting force when starting and which can also be used for retarding the velocity of the ship in landing as well as for producing a force tending to raise the ship verticall In order to more clearly describe this invention and its operation reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment thereof has been illustrated, and in which:

Fi is a top plan view of my improved aerop ane, portions being shown in section;

Fig. 2- is a side elevation of the plane with the central part thereof shown insection;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3,

I Fi 2;

6 ig. 1 is a section taken on bus 4-4,

Fi 3;;and

ig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5,

it is some- 1 incline thepropellers forward 1929. Serial No. 871,395.

In the drawing reference numeral 1 represents the fuselage or body portion of the ship, and 2 the motor which 0 erates the tractor propeller 3. In this embo iment only a single tractor propeller has been shown, but I want it understoodthat the invention which will hereinafter be described is just as applicable to airships having plurality' of motors regardless of their location, and therefore the single propeller ship illustrated is to be considered as an example only. The.

interior of the fuselagejs divided by transverse partitions 4 into compartments for the accommodation of freight or passenger. The ship has been illustrated as provided with two laterally extending wings 5 and horizontal and vertical rudders 6 and 7 all as is now common.

The present invention contemplates providing the fuselage with an elongated opening 8 which extends entirely) through the fuselage from the topto the ottom of the latter. This opening may'have parallel side walls and the end walls may be formed by two angularly related walls 9 and 10 in the manner shown. Located within the opening 9 are two propellers-11 that are secured to the upper ends of propeller shafts 12. Extending transversely of the opening 8 are two I-beams 13., to "the upper flanges of which are secured bearings 14. These bearin s are each provided with two spaced brac ets whose per ends have openings for the reception'o the transverse shaft 15. These bearings are firmlysecured to the I-beams by means of bolts 16. One-end of shaft 15 is provided with a double bevel ear 17. Secured to shaft 15 is a U-shape member- 18 having parallel downwardly extendin arms 19 whose lower ends are provided wit bearings 20 through which the shaft 15 extends and in which it may rotate. The connecting (portion 21 of member 18 has an elongate bearing 22 through which the ropeller shaft 12 extends. The lower end of t e propeller shaft is provided with a bevel gear 23 that meshes with one of the sets of gear teeth on gear 17 A collar v24 holds shaft 12 against downward movement. Shaft 15'is held a ainst endwise movement by means of col ars 25. A drive shaft 26 ismounted for rotation in bearings 27 that are also secured to the angle irons 13. Shaft 26 is provided with bevel gears 28 so that. eac

that cooperate with one set of gear teeth on the double bevel gear 17. It is evident that when driveshaft 26 is rotated, it will cause the shaft 12 and its attached propeller '11 to be rotated. Driveshaft' 26 is directly connected to a motor 29 which may be of the ordinary type employed in connection with aeroplanes, but which may be smaller or larger than the one employed for driving the tractor propellers.

Since the propeller shafts 12 are mounted for rotation about their own axes, and also about the axes of shafts 15, it is, of course, necessary to provide some means for adjusting the angular position of the propeller shafts with respect to a' vertical transverse flange, and for this purpose I have provided the following mechanism. A rod 30 extends between the two vertical bearings 22 and has its ends provided with, openings through which the bolts 31 extend. \The distance between the openings in the bar 30 is equal to the distance between the axes of shafts 15 so that when thisbar is in place, the propeller shafts 12 will be arallel, one with the other. Another bar 32 has one end pivotally connected with the bolt 31 that is secured to thevertical bearing 22 and the other end connected with a handle 33. This handle is pivoted at 34 and is provided with the ordinary pawl which cooperates with notches in a quadrant 35. This pawl can be controlled by means of a lever 36 secured to the upper end of the handle. The control handle 33 has merely been shown as illustrative of means and can be replaced by any equivalent device for moving bars 32and 30. A partition 37 has its lower end pivoted at 38 and is also pivotally connected with the bar 30 so that it will move parallel with the shafts 12 at all times. The partition 37 serves to separate the o ening 8 into two compartments propeller will be located in a separate portion of the opening.

The aero lane is, of course, rovided with the usual w eels 39 and the or inary support. 40 for the rear end of the fuselage;

The engine 29 is, of course, provided with the ordinary control devices so that it may be stopped or started at the will of the operator and so that its speed may be varied to suit theconditions, all in the same manner in which the tractor propeller 3 is controlled.

Let us now assume that the parts have been arranged inthemanner described and that they occupy the position shown in Fig. 2. When the plane is to be started, the tractor propeller is, of course, put into rotation in the propellers 11. By speeding up the prope lers the tractor propeller will pull the airship forwardly in the usual manner and since the elevator pro ellers are upwardl and forwardly inclined the force produce by them will be in such a direction that it can be resolved into two components, one of which is vertical and the'other of which is in the direction of movement, and therefore, they will assist in lifting the ship and also in giving a forward motion. The elevator propellers Will therefore assist greatly in getting the ship from the ground and will also add considerable to the action of the tractor propeller.

The elevating propellers are also of great value in landing. When the aeroplane is to be landed the operator rotates the elevating propeller about the transverse axis until itis rearwardly and upwardly inclined and it will then serve as a brake and will assist in bringing the ship to a quicker stop than if this propeller were not present, this makes it pos sible to land and to bring the ship to a stop on' a much smaller field than wouldotherwise be necessary. I

When the ship is in flight and when it is desired to climb,-the elevating propellers may be upwardly. and forwardly inclined in the manner shown in Fig. 2 in which case they greatly facilitate the climbing and thus enables the ship to reach the given elevation in a much shorter time. 7

If the airship is to be employed for dropping bombs durin lers make it possifi .claimedas new is:

1. An areoplane comprising, in combination, a fuselage provided with lateral wings and a tractor propeller, said fuselage having an opening extending from top to the bottom thereof, a propeller shaft in the opening, said shaft having its lower end connected with a bearing rotatable about an axis transverse to the fuselage, means for rotating said shaft about its own axis, means for'rotating the shaft about the transverse axis and an ele vating propeller secured to the upper end of the propeller shaft and located within the opening.

2. An aeroplane comprising, in combination, a. fuselage having lateral wings and a tractor propeller located at its front end, the fuselage having also an elongated opening extending entirely through it from top to bottom thereof, two spaced elevating propellers located in the opening, each of the last named propellers having a shaft whose lower end is connected with a bearing that is rotatable about an axis that extends transversely of the fuselage and-with respect to which it is perpendicular, means for rotatingthe elevator propellers about their axes, and means war, the elevating propel-*- le to slowdown the speed "of the ship very greatly and thereby makes it for simultaneously adjusting the propeller shafts about the horizontal axes.

3. An areoplane comprising, in combination, a fuselage having lateral wings and a tractor propeller located at its front end, the fuselage having also an elongated openin extending entirely through it from top tofioottom, thereof, two spaced elevating propellers located in the opening, each of the last named propellers having a shaft whose lower end is connected with a bearing that is rotatable about an axis that extends transversely of the fuselage and with respect to which it is perpendicular, means for rotating the elevator propellers about their axes, means for simultaneously adjusting the propeller shafts about the horizontal axes, a pivoted partition separating the propellers, and means for maintaining the partition in parallel relation with the propeller shafts.

4. An aeroplane comprising, in combination, a fuselage provided with lateral wings and a tractor propeller, the fuselage having an elongated opening extending therethrough from top to bottom thereof, a plurality of shafts extending across the opening in a direction transverse to the fuselage, a bearing secured to each shaft, a propeller shaft having one end rotatably connected with each bearing, the propeller shafts being perpendicular to the transverse shafts, means for interconnecting the propeller shafts so that they will remain parallel While moving about the axes of the transverse shaft, means for moving the propeller shafts about the axes of the transverse shafts and means for rotating the propeller shafts.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN H. THOMAS. 

